The Journal News has learned."

The Journal News is reporting that Joe Torre will be hired as manager of the Dodgers. The announcement could come as soon as today.''

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"DENVER -- Alex Rodriguez notified the Yankees on Sunday that he's opting out of his record $252 million contract, SI.com has learned."

However, Boras said in an interview with SI.com Sunday that Rodriguez couldn't even consider any pre-opt-out deadline offers from the Yankees until they settled several situations, specifically mentioning the impending free agency of Mariano Rivera and Jorge Posada and uncertainty surrounding Andy Pettitte. Boras specifically mentioned Yankees partner Hank Steinbrenner's comment the Yankees are in a "transitional'' phase as a concern. "There really was no way he could make a decision (to stay) until much later in the month of November,'' Boras said. "There are no deadlines. We clearly needed more time to understand what 'transitional'' meant, what the new owners intend, and what's going to happen to Mariano Rivera, Jorge Posada and Andy Pettitte.'' Don't let the door hit you on the ass.

[editor's note, by John Amato] If we assume that ARod is being honest about his feelings on the way upper management has handled Torre and the idiotic approach they took with Posada and Rivera are primary reasons for him leaving. Nice going Tampa! We all know that Mariano isn't happy with the way they treated him. I don't believe Jorge ever was quoted on that. Pettitte has always been cryptic on his future. If it's just a cover to go free agent then he won't be missed. Oh, and by the way...didn't AROD have 10 days after the World Series to make a decision? More Boras garbage. The Yanks would have named a manager and dealt with Mo and Jorge before that deadline.

Roger Clemens could make his first start this season for the New York Yankees next Monday night in Toronto, the New York Post reported.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18729407/

If he comes through that game looking healthy, he could make his first major-league start of the season against the Blue Jays on Monday, the Post said.

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NEW YORK -- Andy Pettitte's Bronx return will have to wait one more day, as Wednesday's scheduled game between the Yankees and the Devil Rays was postponed due to poor weather conditions.
No makeup date has been scheduled. The official announcement was made shortly before 11 a.m. ET.

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The last I heard negotiations were extended until yesterday and supposedly the talks were serious.

"Another source said the parties hoped to wrap up a deal by Monday but that there were "no assurances."

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/television/news/e3id1c3d218198539cbc254fb984436f 4b0

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"Igawa will join Pettitte, Chien-Ming Wang, Mike Mussina, Randy Johnson and Carl Pavano as starters on the Yankees, with Igawa and Pavano likely to battle for the fifth starter's spot. Johnson is recovering from back surgery, so both pitchers could open the year in the rotation if the Big Unit isn't ready by Opening Day."

http://www.tiny.cc/Kx0cM

Something jumped out at me from this paragraph. It says "with Igawa and Pavano likely to battle for the fifth starter's spot. "

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To win in the post season, do you really need good pitchers? Or do you just need your shitty pitchers to pitch well?

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There has been a lot of talk amongst all the hand wringing that pitching, pitching and pitching were the Yankees main problem this season and post season. Obviously there can be no discussion of Randy Johnson's and Jaret Wright's starts against Detroit that do not include the word "suck." Wang pitched well enough to win and Moose just bad enough to lose. That Game 2 loss I think turned the tide in the series because it was a team loss. Yes, Moose could have shut down the Tigers after the Yanks took the lead, and the Yanks blew several opportunites to score runs.

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Yankees:

BALTIMORE -- Hideki Matsui will rejoin the Yankees on Sunday and could be back in New York's lineup on Monday night.
Matsui played his fourth and final game for Double-A Trenton on Saturday, as the Thunder fell to Portland, losing the first-round playoff series three games to one. With Jason Giambi out until Tuesday after getting a second cortisone shot in his injured left wrist, Matsui could find himself starting Monday as the Yankees' designated hitter.

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http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/31/sports/31pins.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

Mariano Rivera and Jason Giambi played in yesterday's doubleheader, so their health status is not alarming to the Yankees. But the team was concerned enough about them to schedule magnetic resonance imaging exams.

Rivera has experienced inflammation in his right elbow and will have a precautionary M.R.I. on the elbow soon, perhaps today. He earned the save in the first game yesterday but did not pitch in the second.

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http://www.nypost.com/sports/yankees/hideki_return_on_hold_yankees_michael_morrissey.htm

The Yankees aren't calling it a setback, but it's certainly a disappointment. Hideki Matsui saw team physician Stuart Hershon last night, and he'll have to remain in a holding pattern for 10 more days.

Matsui, who broke his left wrist on May 11, wasn't cleared to hit off a tee. He won't be re-evaluated for another 10 days. He has been using a short bat and was swinging only with his right hand.

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BALTIMORE -- The Yankees will place Miguel Cairo on the 15-day disabled list after he strained his left hamstring running out a ground ball Saturday night. Cairo had been playing almost every day, filling in for injured second baseman Robinson Cano, who suffered from the same injury.

http://newyork.yankees.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20060806&content_id=1595878&v key=news_nyy&fext=.jsp&c_id=nyy

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 Matsui saw the doctor on Thursday to get his left wrist examined. The X-rays look fine, but there is still some tenderness in the wrist. Matsui was looking forward to being able to start hitting, but after the examination he isn't cleared to do anything more than what he has been doing, which is running and swinging a short bat with his right hand.

http://newyork.yankees.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20060803&content_id=1591185&v key=news_nyy&fext=.jsp&c_id=nyy

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sportswriter on the planet.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14141137/

"Roger Clemens has done everything he possibly can for the Houston Astros. But this year, the team's management has done nothing for him."

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Their pitching woes are over.

Right-hander was 4-4 with 5.24 ERA before being released by Cardinals

NEW YORK - The New York Yankees tried to bolster their shaky starting pitching by signing former St. Louis Cardinal Sidney Ponson on Thursday.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13846789/

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Tickets go on sale this Saturday at 9 a.m. for the opening series at Anaheim. I am already exersizing my fingers for some quick typing to insure that I get into at least one if not two of the games.

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"Carl Pavano is reportedly sick of the New York Yankees after only one year with the team, the Newark Star Ledger reported."

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10101188/

I guess he got sick of collecting his $10+ Million while doing nothing to help the team. Unfortunately NY got sick of him before he got sick of NY.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9181573/

Mike Mussina acknowledged there's a possibility he might miss the rest of the season with a sore right elbow, but the New York Yankees right-hander thinks he'll probably return this month...

...Mussina visited Los Angeles orthopedist Dr. Lewis Yocum on Friday, and exams confirmed the tendinitis in his right elbow.

...When asked before the game if his season might be over, Mussina said: "I don't think it's a significant amount of concern. It's a possibility, I guess, but it's not a significant amount of concern."

... and Jaret Wright won't pitch at least until Sept. 10 after getting hit in the neck by a line drive Thursday in Seattle.

this team is really starting to look like a bunch of inept losers. Any team that cannot beat the Tampa Bay Devil Rays is the worst team in baseball.

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Today's N.Y. Post has some pretty wild speculation by Larry Brooks  that Lou Piniella is looking to ditch the Devil Rays and possibly land himself back in the Bronx. He sites as evidence Lou's media diatribe on Sunday where he said:

"I'm not going to take responsibility for this," Piniella said before the $29.9M Devil Rays actually went out and beat the Pirates to end a seven-game losing streak and temporary halt a hideous 1-12 dive. "If I had been given a $40M or $45M payroll, I'd stand up like a man and say it's my fault.

"Well, I'm not going to do it. So if you want answers about what's going on here, you call the new ownership group and let them give it to you."

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I remember those crappy teams of the 80s with fondness. Not just Donnie Baseball and Big Dave, but also Bobby Meacham, Dan Pasqua, Roberto Kelly and of course Bob Shirley. At least once every homestand a friend of mine would get his dad's box seats from work. He was a big shot and these seats were front row field level right behind Don Mattingly. The Yankees never really won anything back then, but I loved them. The reason I bring this up is because the Yankees have not sucked for a long time, and I just want to try to relate. The early 90s were rebuilding years so sucking was a given and does not relate to this season. The 80s were definitely not rebuilding.

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I certainly am relieved that they took two of three from the Mets and that Daddy's Little Girl did not get a win against us despite shutting them down, but this series has gotten me to seriously consider lowering my expectations for the season.

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